Chapter 7 in City at the Water’s Edge not only focuses on the prairie grasses and fields that used to grow all over NYC, but also takes a look at the dual nature weeds have played throughout history. I liked how McCully was able to depict the conflict and disharmony present within nature, where invasive species competed with and often overtook native species. Caused by the Europeans, of course, exploitation had enormous ramifications for the environment. She cites the “single-crop” farming system as burdening and devastating the land, however I think to some degree this is a natural process. We can’t just expect all land to remain intact. I agree with Chris that some of the harm led to the Europeans discovering weeds with overarching benefits that served to advance medicine and saved lives. Although often right when pointing the finger at the colonizers for disrupting the ecosystem, part of me thinks McCully is a little idealistic and too critical about certain things where she shouldn’t be. This might be because I don’t share her passion though.
What was interesting to me was the process that McCully outlined regarding how to restore grasslands in NYC. Preservation entails planting species of plants that we desire and then involves removing all the invasive species of weeds present in the area. At first when she called it a Herculean task, I thought it was a little ridiculous and hyperbolic but reading about the work of Handel and Clemants changed my mind. The two ecologists worked on the Hackensack Meadowlands in order to restore the landfill sites. They had to survey the ground, assess possible risks (such as the highways which would obstruct birds from being able to access the landfill), complete more research, brainstorm solutions, and more. The way the land was divided made the task even harder however, “enriching” the soil with compost and adding a scrub habitat proved to be enormously successful! This inspired other ecologists and scientists to restore a similar site, Fresh Kills landfill.
Lastly, I decided to do some research about the medicinal benefits that certain species of weed bring. I mean because Indians have always been very into eastern medicine with plants and herbs I know that weeds have a lot of advantages but not the ones specific plants species have.For example, I didn’t know that dandelions served as a tonic for kidnys, possessing other detoxifying qualities for various organs. In addition, chickweed is a powerful antioxidant that helps to relieve or resolve cysts. That’s pretty cool.
